Amy from Santa Barbara, Ca writes
I cut down a 2' round oak tree and then brushed it with Ferti-lome to kill it as directed by the label. A week later is was sending up suckers so my dad and the arborist just said to drill a bunch of holes and pour the whole bottle into the stump, so I did so. Two months later a small oak tree about 8 feet away died and I had it removed, I already unfortunately see signs of browning leaves on a few branches of a big beautiful oak tree about 10' away from the original stump. I'm sick about it and don't know what to do! I'm so sad I'm going to lose that bigger oak tree, it would be horrible. I'm 2 months out from the original application to the original stump. Any advice on how to help that bigger oak recover from this toxic shock would be appreciated. Not sure if I can at this point or if it's just a hope and pray situation and I'm never using herbicides again!
We are sorry to hear that nearby trees have been affected; however, this is also not surprising since the Ferti-lome Brush Killer and Stump Killer was applied in a way that is not listed on the product label. The active ingredient in this product, triclopyr, can have long soil residual, so it may be possible for the product that was poured to be reaching the roots of other plants. Also, with the extreme heat that the Western US has had over the past few weeks, herbicides like this one will be much more volatile, increasing the risk of drift to nearby plants.
We are not arborists, so we are unsure if the larger tree may be permanently damaged. If the plants are already stressed from heat or drought, then they can be more susceptible to damage. You may consider contacting your local Cooperative Extension office for better assistance (and a recommend for a different arborist). We wish you luck!
Answer last updated on: 07/12/2021
